Newsletter RpNation Newsletter: January 2022

Power
January 2022 Newsletter

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"With great power comes great responsibility" - Uncle Ben (Spider-Man)​

Power can be many things, though in its most basic form it represents the ability for something to happen. Just like how a battery gives a toy the ability to move or the power of music can inspire and motivate us to get out of bed in the morning, dance in the living room, sing in the shower, write our newest character, and so much more.​
Power is something everyone has and it's something that gets us moving, physically and mentally. In many animated shows power is often displayed both ways simultaneously, growing stronger with their emotions and rising up to the challenge in front of them while usually glowing bright colors, and yelling really really loudly.​
When we ourselves have power, we become empowered; we can do the things we want or need to do, even if we couldn't before. Much like a certain red-capped plumber needing a power-up to break a bunch of bricks with his head.​
Sometimes that power comes from others supporting us, or it can come from deep within ourselves. Mustering up that last bit when it really counts. Being able to stand up for ourselves and others we care about. Getting things done that seemed impossible, be it that next roleplay post or just getting ready for the day.​
While (most) of us probably can't obliterate an entire mountain with a single punch, we all have power even if it might not always feel like it.​
The power is in your hands, it's up to you to summon it forth and seize the day.​
What is your favorite type of power? Tell us in the comments!​

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Announcements

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Featured Discussion from @Ravenborn
Featured BBCoder from @reveriee
Featured Writer from @Broodmother
Featured Artist from @Ari Number Two

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Roleplay of the Month

What are some of the things that inspired you to create ❛ Bad Role Models ❜?
Lot’s of different stuff! Definitely a certain Japanese crime drama video game, basically the whole seinen battle genre and modern urban fantasy tabletop settings.​

What has made your roleplay successful?
Keeping in touch with my players on Discord is very helpful. We all also like to dump character trivia in the other channels, which is a good brain exercise.​

The other thing that I find helpful is giving people openness to create a character that works for them within the parameters of the roleplay. I try not to dictate too much what players can and can't do as long as they consider the type of roleplay they are entering into. Obviously this roleplay needed to have a grounded feel, so a half vampire princess with a katana for a right arm might not be the best fit, but I try pretty hard not to give hard nos on character submissions unless a character is waaaaay off the mark.​

How did you start roleplaying? How did you discover RpNation?
A super long time ago I used to do it on WIKIA, because I was young and clueless, and then someone directed me into FeralFront’s direction, which is where I’d say I cultivated my skills, but then they shut down… whereupon I was thrust upon this magical place, and it’s been fun, I’ve only been here all of this year. I love my new home.​

What is the most unique roleplay you ever participated in? What stood out most?
I feel like multi-fandom crossover roleplays can never not be strangely entertaining, and certainly unique. So many different characters from different settings with such a vast spectrum of worldviews. They’re never not a source of intrigue in my mind, because theoretically any character from any fiction could interact, which is both thought-provoking and hilarious.​

What is your fondest memory of roleplaying?
Hard to say, I have a lot of them. I’ll just say my fondest memory is coming to truly realize my affinity for things like roleplay. I feel it really brought out who I am as a person, and it’s still one of my favorite ways to pass the time.​

Tell me a little bit about your roleplay. What's your favorite part from it so far?
Haha, I have to choose just one thing as my favorite? The gist of it is that an Empire, the last remnants of humanity after a long a war between powerful celestial beings and the sum of all evil left the world uninhabitable, have taken refuge in a gargantuan mountain, placing their cities in a hierarchy of physical architecture to segregate the rebellious from the faithful, the one beneath all the others, Kaien, is the main setting. Here, crime and the supernatural run wild, the parents of differing crime families the closest thing the city had to life-altering politicians, and have been granted special powers by their ancestors, the warriors of the past, and otherworldly spirits and spellcasters are the norm, mostly harmless but many dangerous. The story so far, there’s been word of an invasion by an unknown force, and the crime family heads have been called to congregate at an unassuming café, soon to speak of many things.​
If I had to choose, I love all our different characters and their personalities, abilities, quirks, habits and illegal business practices. My players have done an excellent job at making me believe they aren’t separate entities and really were born and raised in the world I created. My lore is a close second, I’m pretty proud of how much I’ve poured into this one.​

How do you maintain stability and comfort between roleplayers that have been in the roleplay since the beginning and new roleplayers that just joined the group? Is there ever a time that someone feels left out? If so, how do you handle it?
The funny thing is, everyone in my group seems to know each other, and have worked with one another in the past. Thankfully, this means there’s already a strong bond of familiarity between each player, so I feel I have little to worry about when it comes to general unease, since everyone is already so experienced and professional and know each other well enough to trust one another and are quick to support and motivate each and every member of the group. It’s pretty smooth sailing for everyone involved from what I can tell, at least so far.​

What are some roleplaying tips and tricks you think others could benefit from?
Pacing yourself is everything. The thing I see a lot of roleplayers struggle with is feeling like they’re not meeting expectations. The way I see it, deadlines do not exist. As long as you’re keeping pace out-of-character and communicating your activity, you should be able to get as much done as you need to, which isn’t as much as some people might think. If you can’t find much time to write whole posts, try doing collaborations with other players; that might just be the right direction.​

What do you think makes a "good" roleplay? As it goes, there's no right or wrong here, simply your answer and thoughts.
Any roleplay can be “good” with enough energy and love for it behind it. Ultimately, I feel a roleplay is it’s players, not the writing. As long as it’s players have the will to put wind in a campaign’s sails, to push it to develop into a story, any roleplay can be great, no matter it’s flaws.​

Do you have any roleplaying pet peeves? What are they?
I’m not sure. Derailing is obviously no fun for anyone; otherwise, it takes a lot to really make me feel discomfort towards a particular writing style or character. Really, just about anything that ruins anyone’s fun. We’re just here to goof off, there’s no need to make this a place where people are excluded or made to go about things a certain way. We’re here to see our own words become a story, nothing more, nothing less. Pointless chaos never amounts to anything, anyway.​

Now, I want to look more on an imaginative side. If you had the choice to adapt your roleplay into a different medium which would it be; comic book, novel series, TV show, movie, or video game? And why?
Ideally, an animated series/movie, the old fashioned kind, where each and every frame is hand-drawn. I feel like it’s one of if not the best mediums to experience any good story, plus it gives the opportunity to flesh stuff out through music, voice acting and, of course, animation.​

What is your favorite animal, and why?
I love turkey vultures. They have cute faces, seem cuddly, and they throw up when they’re scared, which to me is just adorable. My second pick would be ‘basically every deep sea creature’, but that’s not really one animal.​

Do you have something in mind for your next roleplay? Can we get a few hints?
I’ve been getting into the Fate series lately; it has a lot of interesting concepts I’d love to work with. I’ve also kind of wanted to do some kinda cyberpunk post-apocalypse with some magical elements (which is also what ‘Bad Role Models’ technically sort of is) for quite a while now, or more like wanting to play a snarky, power hungry artificial intelligence as my GMNPC, though I’ve been struggling with execution.​

In the upcoming newsletter, would you like to give a shout-out to your players? If so, please feel free to tag them here for us!
. D O V E . D O V E
@AI10100
@Ambiloquous
@Colorless Spectrum
@Coyote Hart
@Ineptitude
@LazyDaze
@Nemesis;x

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Member of the Month
When did you start roleplaying? Where was it? Did you enjoy it at first?
I started roleplaying years ago about when I was 13-14 I believe. Back then I did not have any solid means of finding partners, just perusing different forums and usually did it over email. I had already figured out that I have an intense love for writing by then and roleplay was a great creative outlet for me. I felt as though it was one of the greatest ways for me to relax with how hectic my private life could be. It also helped me hone by writing craft which I greatly appreciated.​

How did you discover RpNation?
I discovered RpNation shortly after I began roleplaying. When I figured out what I was doing was roleplaying I decided to do an online search to see if I could find proper roleplaying sites. Lo and behold I have come to find RPN! And I have become so grateful for that discovery over the years.​

What are your favorite genres/settings to roleplay in?
My favorite genres/settings are Fantasy, usually low or Grimdark Fantasy, and Historical. Specifically, I have a really large love for ancient settings, such as Greece, Rome, Egypt, and Assyria.​

What are some other hobbies you have besides roleplaying?
I love writing and am working on my own fantasy series at the moment, I enjoy videogames, knitting, cooking & baking (I make some of the best chocolate chip cookies), drawing (though I am not good at it), reading, and playing with my cat.​

What is your favorite part of Rpnation?
My favorite part of Rpnation is definitely the people! I have met many wonderful partners on this site who have given me many wonderful roleplays, including the likes of Javax Javax and s e v e n s e v e n . They have both been wonderful friends and partners to me over the years and I greatly appreciate finding them on this site.​

Do you have any favorite literature pieces? Or maybe a beloved TV series?
Oh, I have so many favorite literature pieces. The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay was absolutely wonderful and I think he has been a great influence on my writing and honing the craft. The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller is also one of my favorites and I think they both are wonderfully talented authors.​

What era would you want to be born in and why?
If I had to choose an era it would probably be something like Ancient Assyria or Egypt. I am just in love with the cultures and would love to get to know what it was like to grow up in some of the first civilizations first hand. Even though I would likely be a slave/lowerclass and probably have a tough like, lol. But then I could possibly have a chance at becoming the elegant lady that resides in my blood.​

Oh no, you accidently fell out of reality, luckily for you the RPN Shark has given you a chance to live in another world, what would it be?
Oh no! Or, rather, oh YES! Man, I would love to be in the world of Lord of the Rings. I mean action? Adventure? Magic? Smokin' hot elvish men? specifically Thranduil Count me in 100%. I mean I might be taken out by the Dark Lord or something but that is a chance I am willing to take for some good ol' fantasy adventure in my life. I would definitely join the Fellowship even though I have no skill to speak of. I could be their cheerleader.​

If you had to make a character based on your favorite color, what would it be? What kind of character would you make?
Let's see, my fav color is purple and I always equate that with royalty and elegance. So I imagine making a King. Someone very dedicated to his role and title. A 'Victory at all costs' type who would be quick to sacrifice all in order to reach his goal. Very much oriented around the upkeep of his people/kingdom and a paragon of royalty. The type who you would take one look at and think: "damn they got their crap together". And the type that could punch you and you would thank them for it.​

Got any RpNation projects that you would like to share?
Let's see... I can't really say I have any projects currently put up as I spend most of my time on personal writing nowadays. But I have been working on a rather detailed political roleplay that I hope to soon unleash on RPN called Imperium which will entail players being conspirators against the Emperor in a falling Empire with a special concentration on their capabilities to navigate a cutthroat world of politics and empire. Who doesn't love a good story about a desperate fight for the throne with lots of bloody deaths for your enemies? I know I do!​

What advice do you have for the newsletter readers?
Advice! Well, I don't have much for life advice. Not really good at that type of thing, but I can certainly tell ya to keep your chin up and sword raised because that's the best way to watch for traitors to your kingdom. And y'all should keep on ruling well Kings and Queens, I am blessed to be in your presence. As for writing advice - just keep on doing what you think is fun, lovelies. Don't let anyone try to make you feel bad for doing what you love - as long as everyone involved consents and is having a good time then there is no shame in it.​

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Let’s show off some of your musical tastes in the newsletter next month! You can also see what has been recommended in the past. Submit your music here!






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January Donation Badge by @Fyuri
"Fear me and my sword!"

And a Happy New Year to everyone!
 
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Thank you all kindly for feeding Staff-chan and retrieving my dot. You just secured the future of all periodkind
 

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